South High School senior trumpeter Jake Burrows learned recently of his acceptance into the 91st annual 2017 Macy's Great American Marching band. Jake joins Downers Grove South High junior Kelly Jankowski and Downers Grove North sophomore Miles Teague who were also selected to represent Illinois. The band will lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on November 23, 2017 in New York City. Jankowski plays the trumpet; Teague plays the French horn.
The band will include 185 student musicians from all 50 states. The audition was open to students from more than 14,000 high schools across the United States. Students post their auditions to YouTube.
“We’re so proud of Jake for setting and attaining this remarkable performance goal." said Fine Arts Department Chair Glenn Williams. On Thanksgiving morning, the band will lead the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade from Central Park and be cheered by 3.5 million live spectators before arriving at Macy’s flagship store at Herald Square for an international performance for more than 50 million TV viewers watching the broadcast live on NBC.
According to the parade organizer website, the parade “is internationally recognized as the official start of the holiday season and world-famous as a uniquely American entertainment extravaganza.”
